U.S. patent application number 10/341143 was filed with the patent office on 2003-08-28 for articulating wrench assembly.
Invention is credited to Rocco, Anthony C..
Application Number | 20030159549 10/341143 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27760358 |
Filed Date | 2003-08-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030159549 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rocco, Anthony C. |
August 28, 2003 |
Articulating wrench assembly
Abstract
There is provided an articulating tool assembly for performing a
mechanical task in a confined area, e.g., applying the torque to
install or remove nuts threaded onto machine bolts or other hooks
in confined or recessed areas. The articulating tool assembly has
an elongated body portion having a handle section and a yoke
section, a head portion including a head section and a head
retaining section, and an actuation member defining an axle shaft
with two spaced apart sprockets. The actuation member is provided
for effectuating incremental articulating movements of the wrench
head portion with respect to the elongated wrench body portion.
Inventors: |
Rocco, Anthony C.; (Selden,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Christopher G. Trainor
Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt, LLP
Suite 225
445 Broad Hollow Road
Melville
NY
11747
US
|
Family ID: |
27760358 |
Appl. No.: |
10/341143 |
Filed: |
January 13, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60347363 |
Jan 11, 2002 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
81/177.8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16C 11/10 20130101;
B25G 1/063 20130101; Y10T 403/32319 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
81/177.8 |
International
Class: |
B25B 023/16 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An articulation wrench assembly comprising: an elongated body
portion having a proximal handle section and a distal yoke section,
the distal yoke section including a pair of yoke arms, at least one
of the yoke arms including a first engagement area; a wrench head
portion including a wrench retaining section, the wrench retaining
section being dimensioned to be received between the pair of yoke
arms and including a throughbore having a second engagement area;
an actuation member movably supported between the pair of yoke arms
and including at least one locking member, wherein the wrench head
portion is rotatably supported about the actuation member to
facilitate articulation of the wrench head portion in relation to
the elongated body portion and the actuation member is movable
between the yoke arms from a first engaged position in which the
locking member is in engagement with the first and second
engagement areas to prevent articulation of the wrench head portion
in relation to the elongated body portion to a second non-engaged
position in which the locking member is disengaged from at least
one of the first and second engagement areas to permit articulation
of the wrench head portion in relation to the elongated body
portion.
2. An articulation wrench assembly according to claim 1, wherein
the wrench head portion includes a socket adaptor.
3. An articulation wrench assembly according to claim 1, wherein
the first and second engagement areas include first and second
toothed areas and the locking member includes at least one sprocket
including structure configured to engage the first and second
toothed areas.
4. An articulation wrench assembly according to claim 1, wherein
the structure on the at least one sprocket includes gear teeth.
5. An articulation wrench assembly according to claim 1, further
including an actuation mechanism operably connected to the
actuation member, the actuation mechanism being operable to move
the actuation member between the first engaged position and the
second non-engaged position via movement of an actuator positioned
on the proximal handle section of the elongated body.
6. An articulation assembly according to claim 5, wherein the
actuation mechanism includes a translatable link supported by the
elongated body and a pivotal lever fastened to the elongated body,
the pivotal lever having a first end connected to the translatable
link and a second end connected to the actuation member.
7. An articulation assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of
the pair of yoke arms includes an engagement area, the second
engagement area of the wrench retaining section includes two spaced
engagement areas, and the actuation member includes two locking
members.
8. An articulation wrench assembly according to claim 7, wherein
each of the locking members includes a sprocket having a plurality
of teeth.
9. An articulation wrench assembly according to claim 8, wherein
each of the engagement areas of the yoke arms and the wrench
retaining section includes a plurality of teeth dimensioned to
engage the teeth of a respective sprocket of one of the actuation
member.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority from provisional
application Serial No. 60/347,363, filed Jan. 11, 2002,
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an articulating tool
assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to an
articulating tool assembly of the socket driver type having an
articulating head portion that is selectively movable into a
plurality of angular orientations with respect to a body portion.
The present invention also relates to an articulating tool assembly
having a body portion including one or more articulating
members.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] It is often necessary to install a nut onto or remove a nut
from a machine bolt in a confined area or to perform some other
task using a tool in a confined area. For example, conventional
ratchet wrenches are not suitable for use in confined areas because
restricted access to the confined space interferes with the back
and forth motion of the wrench handle or because a mechanic cannot
access the confined area in such a way as to transmit the necessary
torque to the wrench handle to facilitate the nut installation or
removal process. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple,
convenient, economical tool, such as a wrench, capable of adapting
to use in a confined area to allow a user to operate the tool and
perform the necessary tasks, e.g., the removal or installation of
nuts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel
type of articulating tool assembly, which is simple to manufacture
and convenient to use. In one preferred embodiment, the
articulating tool assembly includes an articulating ratchet wrench
assembly including a socket driver.
[0007] In accordance with the present invention, the articulating
tool assembly has an elongated body portion having a handle section
and a yoke section with first and second opposed yoke arms.
Preferably, at least one of the yoke arms has a toothed aperture. A
head portion includes a head section and a head retaining section
having a bore which partly consists of teeth. An actuation member
defines an axle shaft with two spaced apart sprockets. The axle
shaft extends through the toothed apertures of the two yoke arms
and the bore of the head retaining section. In an engaged position,
the first sprocket of the axle shaft engages the toothed aperture
of the first yoke arm and a first toothed area of the bore of the
head retaining section, while the second sprocket engages the
toothed aperture of the second yoke arm and a second toothed area
of the bore of head retaining portion. In this position, the
actuation member prevents articulation of the head portion of the
tool assembly in relation to the elongated body portion. In the
disengaged position, the second sprocket is rotatably positioned
within a raceway area of the bore of the head retaining portion
while the first sprocket engages only the toothed aperture of the
first yoke arm. In this position, the head portion is free to
articulate in relation to the elongated body portion.
Alternatively, in the disengaged position, the first sprocket may
engage only the raceway area of the bore of the head retaining
section while the second sprocket may engage only a toothed
aperture of the second yoke arm.
[0008] It is envisioned that two or more yoke sections may be
provided along the length of the elongated body portion to provide
a tool having a plurality of areas of articulation.
[0009] Therefore, users can easily utilize the adjustable
articulating tool for accessing a confined area by using the
articulated movements of the tool head portion with respect to the
elongated body portion to perform a desired task, e.g., to tighten
and loosen bolts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The above objects and other advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an articulating
ratchet wrench assembly constructed in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a plan view, in partial cut-away, of a
yoke section, a wrench head portion, and an actuation member
disposed in an engaged position of the ratchet wrench assembly of
FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view, in partial cut-away, of a
yoke section, a wrench head portion and an actuation member moved
into a disengaged position to permit movement of the wrench head
portion relative to the elongated body portion of the ratchet
wrench assembly of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a plan view, in partial cut-away, of a
yoke section, a wrench head portion and an actuation member moved
into another disengaged position to permit movement of the wrench
head portion relative to the elongated body portion of the ratchet
wrench assembly of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a side elevational view showing various
selected positions of the wrench head portion of the ratchet wrench
assembly of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an actuation member
of the ratchet wrench assembly of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the
ratchet wrench assembly of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a linkage assembly for
remotely actuating the actuation member of the presently disclosed
wrench assembly;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a side view of another preferred embodiment of the
presently disclosed invention; and
[0020] FIG. 10 is a side view of the actuation member of the
embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be
described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, like reference numerals identify
similar or identical elements throughout the several views, while
well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail
so as not to obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. Although
this description refers specifically to an articulating wrench
assembly, it is to be understood that this disclosure may be
incorporated into other tool assemblies, e.g., screw drivers,
magnetic retrieval devices, prying devices, hammers, paint brushes,
a variety of different medical and/or surgical tools, articulating
devices, etc.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 1, the articulating wrench assembly 10
essentially comprises an elongated body portion 12, a wrench head
portion 20 and an actuation member 30. The elongated body portion
12 defines an ergonomically configured wrench handle section 13
along a major portion thereof and a yoke section 14 at a front or
distal end thereof. The yoke section 14 of the elongated body
portion 12 has two opposed yoke arms 14A, 14B. The wrench head
portion 20 includes a socket adaptor 26, a wrench head section 24
and a wrench head retaining section 22. The elongated body portion
12 may include an additional yoke section or sections along the
length thereof to provide multiple areas of articulation on the
tool assembly. Each area of articulation would preferably include
an actuation member to control articulation of the tool
assembly.
[0023] Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the yoke section 14 of the
elongated body portion 12 has two opposed yoke arms 14A, 14B, at
least one of which includes an engagement area, e.g., a toothed
aperture 16, 18 which extends at least partially through a
respective yoke arm 14A, 14B. In a preferred embodiment, both yoke
arms 14A and 14B include toothed apertures. The wrench head portion
20 includes a wrench head section 24 and a wrench head retaining
section 22 which has a bore 40 consisting of first and second
spaced apart engagement areas, e.g., annular toothed areas 42 and
44 (See FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) and an annular raceway area 28 with no
teeth positioned between annular toothed areas 42 and 44. Actuation
member 30 includes an axle shaft 32 extending through the toothed
apertures 16 and 18 of two yoke arms 14A and 14B and the bore 40 of
the wrench head retaining section 22 (See FIGS. 1 and 7). The
actuation member 30 is utilized to control articulated movement of
the wrench head portion 20 with respect to the elongated body
portion 12 (See FIG. 5) and includes first and second locking
members or sprockets 34 and 36. Each sprocket 34 and 36 has a
plurality of annularly disposed gear teeth which are configured to
interact with complementary toothed engagement areas 16, 18, 42, 44
formed within the yoke arms 14A and 14B and the wrench head
retaining section 22. Alternately, the number of teeth provided on
the sprocket may differ from the number of teeth provided on the
yoke arms and/or the wrench head retaining portion, i.e., only a
single tooth may be provided on the sprocket (or the yoke arms
and/or the wrench head retaining portion). Toothed areas 16 and 18
of the aperture of yoke arms 14A and 14B and toothed areas 42 and
44 of bore 40 of wrench head retaining section 22 should be
configured to receive sprockets 34 and 36. In a preferred
embodiment, sprockets 34 and 36 provided on axle shaft 32 have the
same number of teeth formed thereon as the toothed areas 16, 18, 42
and 44. Alternately, only one sprocket may be provided on the axle
shaft and only a single toothed area may be provided on each of
retaining section 22 and yoke section 14. In such an embodiment,
the teeth of the one sprocket are dimensioned to simultaneously
engage the teeth on both retaining section 22 and one of yoke arms
14A and 14B. The number of the spaced apart annular toothed areas
and the spaced annular raceway areas of the bore 40 will be
determined based upon the number of sprockets. The size and the
number of teeth of the first sprocket 34 may be different from
those of the second sprocket 36 provided each sprocket is
configured to engage apertures or recesses of a corresponding yoke
arm or arms 14A and 14B and the toothed areas 42 and 44 of bore 40
of the wrench head retaining section 22, respectively. The axle
shaft 32 may define a tapered shape to prevent sliding of the axle
shaft 32 out of one side of yoke section 14. Any type of
interlocking teeth can be used on the toothed areas 16, 18, 42, 44,
and sprockets 34, 36. For example, the gear teeth may be
triangular, spherical, conical, etc. FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 illustrate
the positions of the axle shaft 32 with spaced apart sprockets 34
and 36 which extend through toothed apertures 16 and 18 of yoke
arms 14A and 14B and bore 40 of wrench head retaining section 22.
Sprockets 34 and 36 are provided on axle shaft 32 for controlling
incremental articulation of wrench head portion 20 with respect to
elongated body portion 12. The width of each of sprockets 34 and 36
is narrower than that of spaced annular raceway area 28 of wrench
head retaining section 22 to permit articulation of wrench head
portion 20 in relation to elongated body portion 12 when one of the
sprockets 34 and 36 is moved into raceway area 28.
[0024] As seen in FIG. 2, when moved into an engaged position,
first sprocket 34 simultaneously engages toothed aperture 16 of
first yoke arm 14A and first toothed area 42 of bore 40 of wrench
head retaining section 22, while the second sprocket 36
simultaneously engages toothed aperture 18 of second yoke arm 14B
and second toothed area 44 of bore 40 of wrench head retaining
section 22. At such a time, the wrench head portion 20 is locked
against rotation of any desired position and the wrench can be used
for installing or removing a nut or performing some other
mechanical operation. Alternately, only a single sprocket need be
provided.
[0025] As seen in FIG. 3, when axle shaft 32 is pushed in a first
direction indicated by arrow "A", first sprocket 34 disengages from
first toothed area 42 of bore 40 of wrench head retaining section
22 and is engaged only in toothed aperture 16 of first yoke arm
14A, and second sprocket 36 moves into raceway area 28 of bore 40
of wrench head retaining section 20 where there are no teeth to
engage. In this position, i.e., the disengaged position, wrench
head portion 20 can be freely articulated relative to body portion
12 of articulating wrench assembly 10, since wrench head portion 20
can be rotated about axle shaft 32 to change the angular position
of wrench head portion 20 in relation to body portion 12 can be
adjusted.
[0026] Alternatively, as seen in FIG. 4, actuation shaft 32 can be
moved into the disengaged position by moving axle shaft 32 in a
direction indicated by arrow "B" such that second sprocket 36
disengages from second toothed area 44 of bore 40 of wrench head
retaining section 22 and engages toothed aperture 18 of second yoke
arm 14B, while first sprocket 34 disengages from toothed aperture
16 of first yoke arm 14A and from first toothed area 42 of bore 40
of wrench head retaining section 22, and moves into raceway area 28
of bore 40 where there are no teeth. Wrench head portion 20 can
also be freely articulated relative to body portion 12 of the
articulating wrench assembly 10 in this position. Thereupon, the
wrench head portion can be moved into a desired angular orientation
and thereafter retained in the desired position via movement of
actuation member 30 to the position shown in FIG. 2.
[0027] The two disengaged positions can be selected by manually
pushing or pulling on actuation member 30. Actuation member 30 can
be pushed or pulled by the user or by other means, such as a
mechanism including a biasing spring or a remotely actuated
mechanism. For example, a linkage assembly may be provided to
facilitate movement of actuation member 30 between engaged and
disengaged positions from handle section 13. One preferred
embodiment of the linkage assembly illustrated in FIG. 8 includes a
linear translatable link 80 and a pivotal lever 82. Link 80 is
slidably positioned within a bore (not shown) in elongated body
portion 12 and includes a proximal end 80a and a distal end 80b.
Proximal end 80a preferably includes a finger engagement member 81
which is accessible from handle section 13 to facilitate
translation of link 80 from a retracted to an advanced position.
Distal end 80b of link 80 is pivotally secured to one end 82a of
pivotal lever 82. A central portion 82b of lever 82 is pivotally
secured about pin 90 to elongated body portion 12. The other end
82c of lever 82 is slidably secured to actuation member 30 by a pin
84 slidably positioned within a slot 86 formed in actuation member
30. Wrench head portion 20 must be adapted to facilitate connection
of lever 82 to actuation member 30 (not shown). In use, when link
80 is advanced in the direction indicated by arrow "C", lever 82 is
pivoted about pin 90 in the direction indicated by arrow "D" such
that pin 84 urges actuation member 30 in the direction indicated by
arrow "E". As actuation member 30 moves in the direction indicated
by arrow E, pin 84 moves upwardly in slot 86.
[0028] It is also envisioned that axle shaft 32 may have
protrusions or extensions, e.g., a gripping member or O-ring, at
the either or both ends thereof so that the actuation member 30 can
be more easily manipulated. In an alternate embodiment, a
protrusion or protrusions 60 may be formed and positioned on the
wrench retaining section 22 (and/or yoke section 14) to contact an
inner wall of yoke section 14, e.g., a rubber surface, etc. Contact
between protrusions 60 and the inner wall of yoke section 14
provides a frictional resistance to articulation when the actuation
shaft is in the disengaged position to prevent head portion 20 from
flopping around in relation to body portion 12. Alternately, a
resilient pad may be substituted for protrusions 60 to increase the
frictional contact between retaining section 22 and yoke section
14.
[0029] FIG. 5 shows various selectively adjustable positions of
wrench head portion 20 relative to body portion 12 of wrench
assembly 10. The number of articulated positions of the wrench
assembly will depend upon the number of teeth provided on sprockets
34 and 36 on the axle shaft 32, and/or in bore 40 and/or apertures
16 and 18 of yoke 14. The number of teeth may vary, preferably from
as few as one to as many as fifty. Depending on the number of
teeth, the number of the selective positions of the articulating
wrench is decided. In a preferred embodiment of the present
inventions, twenty-six teeth are provided on each sprocket of the
axle shaft 32 so that the wrench head portion 20 can be oriented
into an incremental position every 13.85.degree.. Alternately, more
or fewer teeth may be provided to provide a greater or lesser
increments of articulation of head portion 20.
[0030] It is envisioned that a movable actuator such as described
above may be suitable for use in a variety of other types of
articulatable devices to control articulation of a component of the
device. For example, in one preferred embodiment a hinge 200 shown
in FIGS. 9 and 10, includes a first hinge member 202, a second
hinge member 204 and an actuation member or hinge pin 206. Each
hinge member includes a plurality circular lobes 208 for receiving
actuation member or hinge pin 206. At least one and, preferably a
plurality of circular lobes 208 on each hinge member includes
engagement structure (not shown). Hinge pin 206 also includes
engagement structure 210 positioned to releasably engage the
engagement structure of circular lobes 208. Hinge pin 206 is
movable between a first position in which the engagement structure
of the at least one circular lobe of each hinge member 202 and 204
is engaged by engagement structure 210 of hinge pin 206 and a
second disengaged position in which engagement structure 210
engages the engagement structure of only one of the first and
second hinge members. In the second disengaged position, first
hinge member 202 can be articulated with respect to second hinge
member 204. In the first position, engagement structure 210
prevents articulation of first hinge member 202 in relation to
second hinge member 204. As discussed above, the engagement
structure 210 on hinge pin 206 and the engagement structure on
circular lobes 208 of hinge members 204 and 206 preferably includes
an annular array of teeth. As discussed above, the engagement
structure may include other known interlocking configurations.
[0031] Hinge pin 206 can be manually moved between the engaged and
disengaged positions. Alternately, a link 212 can be used to fasten
one or both ends of pin 206 to a suitable drive mechanism, e.g.,
motor, solenoid, etc. Although illustrated as a hinge assembly, the
assembly shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 may be formed integrally with any
articulation assembly. For example, the first hinge member may be
in the form of a door, whereas the second hinge member may be in
the form of a door jam.
[0032] Although the invention has been described in its preferred
form with a certain degree of particularity, variations and
modifications may be made therefrom within the scope of the
accompanying claims without departing from the principle of the
invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.
* * * * *